Death to Hope Long Live Insanity!
by Everlasting Fall
Summary: Naruto had worked so hard to get Sasuke back. The weight of so many days of failure is sure to eat away at some one’s body, mind, and soul. The pressure, the pain, the suffering. It was too much to bare, and Naruto only saw one way out.
1. Prologue How Long?

**Title: Death to Hope; Long Live Insanity!**

**Chapter: Prologue (How Long?)**

**Disclaimer: I do not on Naruto (I ish poor)**

**Pairings: Sasuke/Naruto**

**Note: It is some what short, but I always make my prologues short. Later chapter will have much MUCH more. **

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How long had it been ever since he first started this wild goose chase? Days, weeks, months, years? Yes, years would be the perfect term to describe how long he tried. Two thousand one hundred and eighty-four days of running brutal miles, and still no progress. No matter how many clues he had received, no matter how close he got, Naruto could not bring back Sasuke. It hurt; it hurt so much. Everyday, it felt like someone was using a heavy hammer to drive a hot-iron pipe into his heart, his soul. Sasuke had been right, Naruto was weak, and now he was paying. Oh how he was paying for it. 

He hated this, this nothing that he did. He should be out, fighting against the heavy rain that fell from the dark gray clouds and pelted Konoha, but here he was, left in his house to wallow in his self pity. Why did Sasuke leave in the first place? Why did he have to seek out that snake man for power? Was it because he had to, or because he wanted to? But it could not be Sasuke's fault, oh no; Naruto was the one to blame. If he had noticed how Sasuke personality changed, he would have tied him to a tree and not let the Uchiha go with out a fight. But, of course, this was not the case. Instead, Naruto was nearly killed by his teammate, and now had spent six long, tiring years on the hunt. Each day he came in, Sakura was upset that he had no game to drag back. Sakura bitched and whined about how Naruto could let Sasuke go, and, on occasions, would beat Naruto into a pulp; a big, messy, gruesome, bloody pulp.

And Naruto could not blame her; he did not fight back nor attempt to defend himself when Sakura had those little violent mood swings. He deserved every full blown punch thrown at him. Strangely enough, he enjoyed his monthly beatings by Sakura. It gave him something to build on, to learn off of. It made him try harder, if that was possible since he was already working his ass off. Things could not last that long though; just a few months ago, Sakura had gone on a mission and never returned. Now Naruto could only stay home and sulk, refusing any missions Tsunade handed him, blowing off Iruka, and snapping at Kakashi.

What did he do as he sulked for three months straight? He punished himself for his mistakes in any way, shape, or form he could. He had scars on his body. Some inflected by blades, others by hot objects. Hell, he even what as far as to strangle himself with his head band for a minute. The Kyuubi roared and howled at him to stop his foolishness, but Naruto just blocked the demon out. Yes the fox interfered with his self punishment by healing any damage that was given, but slowly, the time it took to heal the wounds had grown longer, and eventually stopped. Weeks of self torment had drained the Kyuubi of a significant amount of chakra, and the demon could only watch as his vessel tossed himself into a cold world of despair.

It was too late, or so Naruto concluded. Orochimaru was probably inhabiting Sasuke's body by now, and the Uchiha the blonde had come to know was gone. Everything was gone, stripped and torn away from him and stuffed into some dark crevasse at the world's end. Sitting in a bathtub full of hot water, Naruto did not even let out a hiss as the scolding water ate away at his skin, turning it into a light pink. The small room was quiet since his entire apartment was empty besides himself, and Naruto could feel tears claw their way out of his eyes, but he did not release them.

This was it; this was the day he had been waiting for. The day he finally had enough of this slow destruction that rotted him from the inside out. Finally, after giving into his emotions, clear tears left his azure eyes in a steady stream. The wet trail that was left in its wake only made more of those acid tears fall; the blonde hated it when he cried. It was like he was accepting defeat, which was what he was doing, but he pushed that thought aside. Slowly, he took hold of a sharp knife that he had placed on the tiled floor a few moments before he had slipped into the tub and looked into the void eyes that stared back at him in the reflection of the shining metal.

"Hehe, never thought I would be brought to this; don't you agree Kyuubi?" Naruto joked in an emotionless tone, knowing full well that the demon could hear him. Of course, this angered the powerful demon and he trashed in his sealed cage and roared in vain; Naruto knew how he could separate himself from the one, wet room in his mind for a few moments, and that was just what he did. Hesitating for a second, Naruto let out a scream of pain as he dug the point of the knife into his palm, and raked the blade vertically on his right wrist, cutting through the veins like a hot knife melting through butter. He dragged it all the way up his forearm, slicing through the muscle, tendons, skin, and veins with ease. Quickly he lifted the point up, and cursed as the wound started to heal. It appeared as if the Kyuubi was afraid of death, but Naruto was welcoming it with open arms. Sticking his arm under water so the blood would not clot, he repeated the unmerciful actions until his forearm and wrist area was a mangled mess.

The knife slipped out of his fingers as he leaned his head back, his noggin hitting the wall with an almost inaudible thump. So, when was the death coming? Was it just going to pop out like a surprise, or was it going to slowly lull him into a never ending sleep? He sure hoped that it was the second option. Crimson liquid leaked out from the gashes that he inflected on himself, coloring the water a light red, and it made his head feel heavy and fogged up. Naruto could feel the darkness starting to consume him in a blanket of security and warmth, and even the Kyuubi was starting to drift into the blissful sleep, but his lips were still curled up in mid-growl. It only took a few minutes until Naruto let himself slip into the trance that everyone faces when life was near its end. Resting on his dresser next to a picture of team seven, which was currently lying face down, was a letter; a farewell note to all those Naruto had come to love and those who loved him back.

_Dear everyone,_

_Thank you… Thank you so much for everything you have done to help me. Everything you sacrificed for me, but I am afraid that I can't go on. You see, there is this thing in my soul that will not go away. It hurts so much, and it won't stop. It haunts and torments me to the point that I swear I will lose my mind. I can't take it any more. So just humor me, please, as I go through the people I would like to recognize and thank._

_Iruka-_

_You have been like a father to me; taking me out to ramen, sticking by my side, and caring for me. I would like to say sorry for all that money I sucked up in the form of my favorite food. I believe I have enough money in the bank to pay off all my bills, so go ahead and take what you like. God, again? Sorry if everything seems smudged, I can't stop crying… But don't worry, they are tears of joy._

_Kakashi-_

_I am not sure if I have anything good to say about you. I mean, all you did was read that stupid, perverted book of yours, and you were constantly late to practice. Not to mention that you spent most of your time teaching Sas… Never mind. Wait, I think I have something that I can thank you for. Thanks for carrying my ass all the way back to Konoha on that day; I think you know which one I am talking about._

_Jiraiya-_

_Three words: Get. A. Wife. If you keep spying on girls at the baths, it is going to be the end of you._

_Sakura-_

_I am so, so sorry for breaking my promise, and I really do miss you. I hope your mission does not take too much longer. I really wanted to see you one last time before I did this, but I guess life sucks huh? And I just have one last thing to say. Beat Sasuke's ass for me if he ever gets back, and tell him that he got his wish, that Naruto Uzamaki is dead and will no longer be bugging him._

_And for all of you who I did not mention, like Lee, Kida, Shino, and Shikamaru, I still thank you for being my friends and helping me out when I needed you._

_I have to go now. My tears wont stop falling, and I don't want them to ruin the writing an-_

The message had gone unfinished, a small mark indicating that the pencil that had written it broke. Tears adorned the once clean white paper, and a few words were smeared but still readable. So now, the entire house was silent. No splashing of water coming from the bathroom, no talking, no nothing. It was an eerie silence, and was only broken by the heavy thunder of the raging storm out side, the rain beginning to pick up yet again. And in the tub, as if he was lost in a peaceful dream, laid Naruto, his hair dry and added a heavenly glow to him, but this angelic look only added to the irony that the water was now a dark, unforgiving red.

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**This is not the end of the story, more chapters are to come. Please review; I accept constructive criticism, but no mega flaming.**

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	2. Padded Rooms and Straight Jackets

**Title: Death to Hope; Long Live Insanity!**

**Chapter: Padded Rooms and Straight Jackets**

**Disclaimer: I do not on Naruto I ish poor**

**Pairings: Sasuke/Naruto; Kakashi/Iruka**

**Note: Here is the next chapter; I did my best to fix the errors and all that jazz. I thank all of you who commented in the previous chapter (I LOVE YOU!). Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter-**

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"_Naruto?" Iruka called, knocking on the door of his student's home. It had been awhile since he had last seen Naruto; lately, the younger kept himself cooped up in his apartment, not once leaving his house nor contacting anyone. Iruka had noticed this change since the beginning of the previous year, but it was only until Sakura left that Naruto was starting to take it to the extreme. He waited patiently for ten minutes before he let out a frustrated grunt. Giving three more steady knocks to the door, Iruka crossed his arms and waited even more._

'_Where is he?' Iruka thought worriedly, starting to pace in front of the door subconsciously. It was not like Naruto to just leave his house; why leave so suddenly when he had not even set foot out of his apartment for months? Iruka tried to fool him self with false hopes: Naruto was out getting groceries, Naruto had finally stopped his sulking to go train, Naruto went out to get ramen, and the list went on. There were a few problems though. On his trek over to the semi-run downed apartment complex, he past both the market and the ramen stand, not spotting his blonde student a single time. Starting to fear the worst, he reached out to the handle to find it unlocked. This was a surprise; Naruto always kept his door locked, no matter what._

_This knowledge only fueled his concern, and he opened the door, hating the eerie squeak that the un-oiled door hinges made. A wave of a horrid smell filled his nostrils, and he immediately covered his scarred nose. It smelt like something was slowly decaying. Eyes glanced to look at the kitchen. Sure enough, that was the main source of the odor; there were filthy dishes in the sink, unwashed, a trash can filled to the brim with waste, and a carton of milk left out on the table, out of date of course. Iruka wanted to vomit at the sight. This was where Naruto was living; his once cheery student that he loved lived here? Surely not! _

"_Naruto, Where are you? It's me, Iruka!" the tanned man called, anxiety holding onto his heart with a death grip. The blonde was not in the kitchen or the living room. Was Naruto asleep? He couldn't be, not with the harsh wind and rain that whipped the village; plus, it was mid-afternoon. Cautiously, the teacher walked into his student's room, frowning at the silence that greeted him. It was dark... too dark, and the only light that he could see was the light that escaped from a small gap underneath the bathroom door. "Naruto?" he called again, creeping slowly to the door._

_He was only an inch away from the bathroom's door before a strong, stomach churning scent hit his nose. 'Bl-Blood?' Iruka thought as he looked at the door with horror. He knew, back when Naruto was younger, he used hurt him self by cutting, but he promised never to do it again once he was found out; had Naruto been lying all these years? Quickly, he opened the door. He hoped that Naruto was ok, that he had just got a nose bleed. He prayed that Naruto was just using the bathroom or taking a shower. He pleaded that Naruto was just being Naruto. But despite his wishing, his eyes widened at the sight before him. There, lying in a tub of blood red water was Naruto. His skin was an unnatural pale tan, tear stains ran down his cheeks, and as if to add to the heart break, his eyes were closed peacefully as if he was lost in a bliss full dream._

"_N-No!" Iruka screamed as he rushed to his student. Dipping his arms in to the crimson water, he lifted his student's naked body out of the tub, not caring that his sleeves turned a darker blue from the blood/water mixture. The first thing he spotted was the mutilated arm, and he gripped onto Naruto tightly, letting out uncontrollable sobs into his student's cold, wet, pale shoulder. "W-Why Naruto? Wh-why didn't you tell me!" Iruka cried as he placed the blonde on the tiled floor, quickly, he placed his index and middle finger on the boy's neck and found nothing. There was no pulse, no signal that he was breathing, no chakra, nothing. More tears fell down his face, was his student dead? Why? Why did he do this to himself? _

_Gathering the teenage blonde in his arms, Iruka lifted him from the cold ground, which was as cold as the boy. Tears streamed off his face, and landed onto Naruto's cheeks like rain; he needed to hurry, and get him to the hospital, to Tsunade, to some one. But what if it was too late? Naruto, thanks to his condition, would already be classified as dead. "Don't worry," Iruka said as he quickly rushed out of the blonde's home, taking a second to wipe the golden locks out of the way of his student's closed eyes, "I-I will get you some help, things will be ok I prom-"_

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"I fucking hate you!" a strained voice screamed for the umpteenth time. The vocals were rasped out as if the constant yelling worked his throat raw, which was true. Locked away in a small, gray room, far off in the loneliest wing in the "hospital," AKA, the Konoha Insane Asylum, was a fuming blonde. His hair was matted down by the natural oils his body produced, blue eyes were void and negative, heavy black rings under said eyes, and overly chapped lips that threatened to crack and bleed out. Once naturally tan skin was now a ghostly pale tan, making it obvious that this male had been out of the sun for a while. "I hope you burn in hell you bastard! I wanted to die; why did you do this to me? Why are you making me suffer?! I hate you!" the blonde wailed as he thrashed violently, legs kicking and arms jerking against the restraints that held him tightly to his bed.

"Let me out…" the male groaned, going limp. There was no true point in struggling; the restraints, which were leather bands, were reinforced with seals and were near impossible to break. "I am dying…stop it. Can't you see you are killing me so slowly? I would be dead and safe if it wasn't for you..." the teen moaned in pain as he let his head shake side to side slowly, as if he was dizzy and about to lose consciousness. However, within a few seconds, he began is thrashing and cursing yet again. "I hate you bitch! Let me go! Why didn't I die?"

"Why is he saying those things?" a hurt voice asked, making it obvious that the owner was crying. Iruka stood out in the hallway near the room, face pressed into his hands as strong sobs racked his body, causing his shoulders to lurch forward with each cry. Next to him were an overly concerned Kakashi and a troubled Tsunade, who was currently looking over a few files. "I-I just didn't want him to die. Why is he saying he hates me?" Iruka was not able to keep his voice coherent and he let out a heart wrenching howl as his tears fell in uncontrollable burst. A gloved hand was placed on his shaking shoulder, and Kakashi attempted to comfort him.

"To be honest, he was already dead when you bought him to me," Tsunade informed the hurting Iruka. "I had to revive him three times as we worked on his arm; it was not an easy task to repair the veins, tendons, and muscles that he damaged. Just by seeing the wounds, he was really trying to kill himself. He was probably upset that we were able to save hi-"

"Then why hasn't he stopped saying that he hates me? It has been almost a month!" Iruka snapped back at the older woman. He quickly realized how rude he sounded and mumbled a soft sorry. "It- it just… I don't understand how this could have happened. I mean, he seemed so happy and…"

"That is the problem," Kakashi said before Iruka could continue. "He seemed happy. It did not mean that he was. He has been this way after Sas… he left," the silver haired man was unable to use the name that brought his student so much pain. "It is obvious he has been feeling this way of a while, judging by the note he left." Kakashi frowned behind his mask as Iruka left out a few more cries, and held on to his lover; he had a near death grip on Kakashi's shoulders, and his face was pressed roughly into his neck.

"No matter the case, Naruto is going to have to stay here for awhile," Tsunade said as she placed the files in a large folder. Iruka looked up from Kakashi's now wet shoulder, and Kakashi's own eyes fell onto the Hokage. "I just hope it does not break him in the process…"

**-(One And A Half Years Later)-**

"Hey Naruto… How are you doing?" a kind voice asked as a nurse entered the placid room. Of course, the room was dark and silent; even though the room was padded with white mats and pillows, the room showed no sign of life or color. It was just… naked. Located in the corner farthest from the door, was a small huddled figure. Like the color of the walls, floor, and ceiling, the figure wore bleach white pants and a white straight jacket- well, the front of the straight jacket was not white; it had small speckles of blood on it. Arms were wrapped tightly around a hyperventilating torso, hands were rendered useless, and the nice little strap that pressed firmly against his crotch area made him shift awkwardly.

"Naruto, what is the matter?" the nurse asked as she placed the tray of food-it was currently morning, so breakfast was being served- on the cushioned floor and hurried to the boy's side. Her sock covered feet- she wore no shoes so she would not get the padded floor dirty- sank into the mattresses that made up the floor as she quickly made her way to the male. As soon as she placed a hand on him, his head snapped around and looked at her like a frightened rabbit. His blue eyes were wide, literally staring into his caretaker's soul, his hair was a messy mop, and his bottom lip was split; during the night, the air conditioning had broke and dried out his lips, causing them to become chapped. Now, there was a thin line of blood that ran down his chin, some dripping onto the floor and his jacket.

"Oh, what happened? Are you ok?" she asked as if she was talking to a kid who just scraped his knee. Naruto let out a small whimper as the woman touched his chin and forced him to look up. His breath was coming out in uneven pants and grunts of pain, and he was going to scream at any second. Of course, the nurse knew of his "condition" and quickly thought on her feet. "Stay still, ok? I will get a napkin and wipe that up," she said sweetly. Naruto only watched the woman walk back to the tray. Within seconds she was kneeling in front of him again, and she was pressing the absorbent material onto his lip. But, of course, Naruto had seen enough, and let out a blood curdling scream.

"No!" he yelled, shoving the nurse away with his feet. The woman knew that she would be no good to Naruto when he was like this, and she quickly darted out of the room, leaving behind a screaming blonde who was slamming his head against a padded wall. A quick turn down the hall, and up a flight of stairs, she entered a room where two males sat; one was a sleeping Iruka, while the other was Kakashi, currently reading his orange book **(1)**. Instantly, Kakashi's head snapped up to look at the nurse; the other teacher was too tired to wake up since he had been up for the past four days.

"It is Naruto," she explained, rushing the words since she was out of breath because of her running. "His lips got chapped some time during the night and split, and now-" the nurse was unable to finish because Kakashi had already pushed his way past her and was currently flying down the stairs as if the place was ablaze.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called as he opened the door to the safe room. In the center of the room, was a panting heap; Naruto's eyes were unfocused, pupils dilated to an abnormal size. Even when Kakashi turned on the light, his pupils did not retract; it was an obvious sign that Naruto was so drugged up on what ever medication that they gave him, he was practically high- well, that plus that he was also not in the right state of mind. Kakashi was only given ten seconds of silence before Naruto resumed his screaming. Back arching of the ground and toes curling, gripping onto the soft floor, Naruto began to yell the only word he knew in this state: No.

This conversion was quite unexpected. At the beginning of Naruto's stay here, this "show" happened at least once or twice a week, but after a few months, the event became less frequent. It seemed, after a few days of observation, that Naruto only reacted this way at the sight of his own blood (no one else's); whether it be from a bleeding lip, a nose bleed, or whatever, Naruto always freaked out around the crimson liquid. But the question was, how the hell did the AC break? Surely the janitors that worked in the building knew to keep Naruto's room at the top of the maintenance priority list!

"It is ok, I am here now," Kakashi said in a soft tone. Of course, Naruto was currently blocking out the outside world, so he did not hear Kakashi's statement. His harsh screaming rubbed away at his throat, making it feel sore and worn, but Naruto just screamed and thrashed about.

"No! No! No! NO!!!" the blonde yelled over and over again until he was sure that he could taste blood in his throat. Automatically, Naruto stopped all his movements, becoming unnaturally still, and this worried Kakashi. Cautiously, the Jonin walked to Naruto, making sure not to scare him, and once he was an arm's length away from his student, he embraced the boy in a strong, comforting hug.

"Shh... It is ok. You are safe," Kakashi hummed to the boy, rubbing invisible circles on Naruto's back. He noticed he could feel the bumps of each individual vertebra that made up Naruto's spinal column. Of course, the blonde was not eating like he should, and this made Kakashi worry even more. After a minute of comforting, the blonde was still repeating his mantra, "no," but silently, and by that time two nurses walked in, one was the woman from earlier and the other was a male with a needle. He sighed and slowly released his student, knowing what the coupled was about to do, and he felt a ping as his heart as Naruto tried to hold on to him, tugging gently at his vest.

"Naruto... it is time to go to sleep," the female nurse said nervously behind her clipboard. Kakashi could see Naruto was starting to cry again, but there was nothing he could do; it was for Naruto's own good. As the silver haired man left the room, closing the door behind him, he heard the pained screams of Naruto, obviously struggling with the man that had the needle.

"Kakashi," the busty woman, Tsunade, called as she approached the distressed man. He only managed a small 'Hm?' before she continued. "We have a situation, and I need your help," the elder went on, running her fingers through her hair. Kakashi cocked an eyebrow at the Hokage's words.

"What kind of situation?" he asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"_He_... is back."

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**Side Notes:**

**(1)- Most of the times, except when they are on missions/teaching at the academy, Kakashi and Iruka stay at the asylum; usually, one of them is there everyday so that they can help the hospital staff take proper care of Naruto. Today, they both had spent the night there.**

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**Ah, another chapter well done if I do say so my self. The next chapter will explain what is up with Naruto and his little "condition," though I am sure if you think really hard, you might figure out why he is like this now. Well, any who, please R I like it when people say they like my stores, but I LOVE it when ****I get constructive criticism (helps me learn what my mistakes are and what not).**

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	3. What the Hell Are You Doing?

**Title: Death to Hope; Long Live Insanity!**

**Chapter: What the Hell Are You Doing**

**Disclaimer: I do not on Naruto I ish poor)**

**Pairings: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka**

**Note: I have to say, I was a bit upset when I did not get many reviews/hits on my last chapter; it made me want to crawl under a rock so that I could shrivel up and died. But I decided against that and went ahead and continued.**

**Naruto is nineteen, Sasuke has just turned twenty, and Kakashi and Iruka are in their thirties, just to let all you few readers out there know.**

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"What!" Kakashi exclaimed as his mismatched eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. If _he _was back, then things were not going to go so smoothly. It was all _his _fault that Naruto was in his current state along with the fact that Sakura had gone missing (in reality, she was killed during the first month of her mission, but Tsunade kept it on the down low and only told Kakashi the horrid news). Kakashi could not help but let some anger flash in his lone visible eye. "You are telling me that Sas-"

"Shut up will ya'?" Tsunade barked at the Jonin. She bared her teeth slightly as if she was an agitated wolf or some other kind of rabid animal. "Do you think I am happy about this? Now keep your voice down unless you want the entire hospital to hear you." Kakashi nodded solemnly and Tsunade let out a sigh. Her golden eyes watched with displeasure as the two nurses exited Naruto's room with the sleeping blonde in hand; thanks to the incident, they were going to have to wash his straight jacket, repair his lip, and either place him in another room or wash the blood out of the mats in his current room before he wakes up. "Listen," the busty woman said softly, hardly above a whisper. "You can not tell _anyone _about _him_. Especially Iruka; you know as well as I that he is very protective over Naruto. The brat is like a son to him, and if he catches wind of..." the Hokage paused as she scanned the hall to make sure no one was around. Even though they were the only two present, she leaned closer and whispered into Kakashi's ear, "The Uchiha's return, God only knows what will happen."

"I understand." Kakashi felt some what guilty to lie to his lover, but it was obviously necessary; anyone would be a fool to not see Iruka's true abilities. No, Iruka did not have the strength to take on an Uchiha, unless of course said Uchiha was paralyzed, blinded, and bound; then he could take a number on him. "I-is he here? In the village I mean," he asked lowly, taking a few steps closer so that he could whisper in Tsunade's ear and vice versa.

"Yeah, he is in my office along with more than two dozen ANBU," she answered firmly. Looking at a small round clock that was perched on the wall behind Kakashi, she let out a sigh. "I must get going. Ibiki and I are going to spend the next few days questioning _him _to see if he can be trusted. Once I come to a conclusion, I will inform you... after all, he was your ex-student." Kakashi only nodded and watched with a fixated gaze as she left. If Ibiki was going to help with the interrogating, then there would be no way _he_ could lie without getting caught. Then again, this _was _an Uchiha they were dealing with.

With a hefty sigh filled with stress and concern, he walked back up the stairs, swearing that with each step, the stair case got longer and longer, and he silently entered the room in which his lover Iruka was sleeping on an uncomfortable mahogany chair. _'I think I should wake him... he would get upset if I don't tell him what happened right away,' _he pondered the thought before he walked to his lover. He did not know how in the world Iruka could manage to curl up on the chair and find it comfortable enough to sleep on. "'Ruka," Kakashi cooed as he brushed Iruka's hair out of his face- during his slumber, the teacher's ponytail had come undone to let his silky, chocolate hair flow freely.

"Hmm, 'Kashi?" he groaned, sitting up. The Chunin stretched his arms high above his head, letting them drop when his shoulders and elbows cracked. Stiffening a yawn, Iruka let his weary eyes look up at his lover's. "What is the matter?"

"It was Naruto. He-"

"What happened?" he asked, quickly standing up. He instantly regretted the action because his bones ached from the uncomfortable sleeping position, and he leaned into Kakashi's awaiting arms. On cue, Kakashi wrapped his arms around his younger lover's waist, and placed tender kisses on Iruka's forehead. The tanned one could only blush; he wanted to push the other away and demand that he tell him what happened to "his son," but he liked this touching (after all, it had been awhile since they had been intimate because they had been caring for Naruto).

"It was just a small incident; his lip split, so he had a break down, but don't worry, things are ok now," Kakashi said. However, Iruka could not help but start to sob. "Hey, look at me... What is wrong?" But no matter how much he tried to get Iruka to look at him, the tan teacher paid no heed, only rubbing his face into Kakashi's neck. The shorter began to mumble phrases like 'I did it' and 'My fault,' and this caused Kakashi to frown deeply behind his mask. "Iruka, you should know better than to do this to yourself. Tsunade was the one who decided to lock away Naruto's memories, and it was that damned demon's fault that he pushed the memories back into Naruto's head."

"I-I know-w, but it...it is MY fault that he is here in the first place!" Iruka roughly shoved Kakashi away, "I only wanted to help him..." Iruka's voice trailed off at the feeling of Kakashi's lips barely grazing his own. His watery eyes looked at Kakashi's face to see the other had pulled down his mask. Iruka felt like his heart just melted into a mushy puddle in his chest. Love, concern, and sadness were the features that Kakashi's face bore, along with a tender smile. Kakashi's gloved hand caressed Iruka's cheek, and he placed a ginger kiss on the scar that adorned the bridge of the younger one's nose.

"Don't say those things... It is ok love. Naruto will get better soon." Kakashi managed to sooth his now docile lover, and he gave his nose another chaste kiss. Deep inside his heart though, he could not help but have the feeling that he was deceiving his lover. Things would not be ok... _he _was back. What if he tried to see Naruto? Would he kill the boy like how he tried to? That was not the only thing that worried him; what would be Naruto's reaction to his ex-teammate's return? There was a high possibility that he would break down. _'Naruto... he is too unstable to see Sasuke. Knowing the circumstances, Naruto will only get worse. He had tried so hard to find his teammate that it drove him to the point to insanity and now said teammate was back for no apparent reason? How ironic...'_

"What is the matter?" a soft voice called Kakashi out of his deep thinking. Iruka was giving him his all famous 'I am concerned so do not lie to me look', and the Jonin sighed.

"Eh' just thinking. Now come on, you need to go to the house, I am sure you are very tired." Iruka tried to protest, but Kakashi would not take no for an answer. The Chunin could not deny the fact that he was a bit drowsy, but he wanted to stay with Naruto. Eventually, Kakashi was able to persuade his lover, promising him that he would watch Naruto, and that Iruka could have a few days off.

"Ok, but-but if anything happens, you let me know, or else!" Iruka threatened with a shaking fist. Kakashi only chuckled and shooed the tanned man out of the hospital. Once Kakashi was sure he was more than fifty meters away from the hospital, he let out a disgruntled sound that was a mixture between a moan and a whine.

'_Things are going to go straight to hell with Sasuke being back,' _he thought. He was sure that Tsunade (along with himself and almost everyone else in the village) was not going to fully trust the Uchiha no matter what he said. But why did he come back anyways? It had to be a trick, some sort of plan involving Orochimaru. "Might as well check on Naruto," he thought, leaving his room to see if he could locate his student.

**-(A week Later)-**

"Kashi-sensei?" a small voice called. Naruto, who was currently in his personal rec. room (complete with a small couch, a few board games, and small decorations that helped liven up the place), was perched on the armrest of the couch as if he was some sort of bird; since this was his personal time and he was being supervised by someone, the nurses allowed Naruto to remove his straight jacket. Kakashi had agreed to play a game with him, not a board game, but a game of hide and seek, but even though the room was basically bare, he could not find his friend. It wasn't fair! Kakashi was always good at this game; no matter where he looked, he could not find the other. It was as if he was some sort of... ninja.

"Naruto-kun, you are bad at this game," a voice came from behind him. Naruto whirled his head around and was grabbed by Kakashi. His muscular arms encircled the blonde's lean waist, and said boy was hauled into the air and was swirled around as if he was a small child. Naruto let out giggles and laughs of pleasure, and was disappointed when Kakashi sat him down on the couch. "It seems that the hider found the seeker," he said with a smile behind his mask. Naruto frowned, but then lunged himself at the Jonin.

"Got you!" the blonde boomed as he tackled Kakashi to the ground in a big embrace. The fell to the ground with a soft crash, Naruto straddling Kakashi's waist with his hands on his chest, and Kakashi on his back, propped up by his elbows. Kakashi let out a chuckle and ruffled the boy's hair, who rubbed his head against the gloved hand as if he was a cat; Naruto had been one to enjoy close contact ever since he was "fixed," and who was Kakashi to deny the still healing boy? Kakashi guessed that Naruto liked to be held and praised because it made him feel wanted, so there was some sadness to this enjoyable moment, but Kakashi pushed the depressing thought aside and continued to smile up at Naruto. Soon though, the moment was gone, and Naruto looked down at him with a scowl, blue eyes staring into his soul.

"What?" Kakashi asked. Naruto was silent and did not answer. Kakashi, who was about to repeat his question, was startled by the bellowing growl of Naruto's stomach. The boy blushed and shifted his gaze to the floor. "Don't be ashamed Naruto, if you were hungry, you should have told me," Kakashi said tenderly. After Naruto lifted himself off of Kakashi and helped the other up, the Jonin wrapped a protective arm around the teen's shoulder (Who would not be a teen in a few more months). "Come on, I am sure the nurses would not mind if we go raid the kitchen. It would be like... a mission!" he said, turning this into another game for the younger.

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, but was quickly shushed by Kakashi. Right, ninjas had to be quiet. Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi approached the door with caution before pressing his back against the wall as if to hid form any oncoming "enemies" who roamed the hallway; in his mind, Kakashi and Iruka were the greatest. Naruto quickly followed suit, and soon the two males were swiftly and silently making their way to the kitchen, one giggling, and the other trying to not laugh at the other's excitement over something so simple. They were a few meters away from the destination and again, Kakashi pressed up against the wall, Naruto doing the same beside him.

"Ok, I will go in first to make sure that everything is clear. Then, when I give you the signal, you will come in and-"

"What the hell are you doing?"

**-(Two days earlier)-**

_"So tell us Uchiha, why did you come back here with... that?" Tsunade questioned pointing with her head to a leather sack that one of the ANBU had in his hand. There was a dark liquid leaking from the bag and onto the floor of the interrogation room, which was a small cube with stone walls with only one door located behind Tsunade. Sasuke, clad in a simple black shirt and pants that lack his family's crest, to much of his displeasure, was bound to a chair with heavy ropes that were reinforced with seals._

_"I told you, I brought back Orochimaru's head to prove I am not lying and trying to trick you," he said in his normal monotone voice. His tone-of-voice did not surprise the Hokage; Sasuke only changed a little bit in appearance and apparently, his voice did not change too much as well- it was a bit deeper, yes, but it still had that emotionless hue to it. Tsunade, being the great medical-nin that she was, knew that the head was not a fake after examination._

_"Ok then, but why are **you **back?" she asked the question for the millionth time that week. Of course he was about to give her the same explanation in three, two, one._

_"I have my reasons."_

_"'I have my reasons' my ass," Tsunade growled. Walking up to the once honored boy, she glared down at him with her golden-brown eyes, which at this moment were scarier than Orochimaru's. "You have to have some other motive. Are you going to try and kill Naruto again hmm?" she mocked._

_"Don't you dare say that!" Sasuke snapped with rage. A few ANBU quickly came to Tsunade's side as she took a step back; she was quite startled when he got mad. She was not sure why Sasuke was being sensitive, but she knew the old Sasuke would not get protective like this. The sharingan was spinning wildly in Sasuke's eyes as he growled. "I could have killed him long ago, but I didn't did I? And what would be the point of trying to kill Naruto up front? If I wanted to kill him, I would just sneak into his apartment an-"_

_"That would be impossible," the Hokage cut in with a growl. Sasuke cocked a thin eyebrow, and gave her a look to tell her to continue. "He does not live in his apartment anymore. Naruto is not the Naruto you once knew, and it is all **YOUR **fault."_

_"What do you mean?" Sasuke quarried. How the hell can something that happened to Naruto be his fault; he just got back to the village for God's sake._

_"Because of **you **Naruto tried to kill himself! And because of **you**, the old Naruto is long gone and has been replaced with a... different one." It took all of Tsunade's will power not to land a punch on Sasuke's face and send him flying through the wall behind him, and the walls behind that wall._

_'Naruto tried to kill himself?' Sasuke thought with confusion as he kept his face impassive. Naruto, his ex-loud mouth teammate tried to take his life because of him? He didn't understand. The Uchiha could recall telling Naruto that he did not wish to come back to Konoha, but did the blonde not listen to him (not that he expected Naruto to listen)? Was Naruto depressed because he had been chasing him? "A different one? Different how, explain," Sasuke demanded._

_"I had to lock away his memory of him trying to kill himself so that he could return to normal, but a day after the procedure the Kyuubi stuffed the memories back into Naruto's mind. Now take note that after I locked away the memories, Naruto had no idea what he did to himself, so seeing those images of what he did made him change," Tsunade finished. She did not wish to go in-depth about how Naruto forced himself to get rid of the memories, causing damage to other parts of his brain **(1)**, and how Naruto freaks out around his on blood, thanks to said memories._

_Sasuke stared at her with disbelief. She was lying, she had to be, but then again, why would she lie? She had no reason to, unless of course she was taunting him. Swallowing hard, he only looked down at his bare, semi-dirty feet. 'So Naruto is insane huh? Go figure,' he thought emotionlessly. However, somewhere deep deep DEEP down inside, he felt guilt hitting him upside the head._

_"Now, if you by some chance actually care about Naruto, you will not be leaving this room until you tell me the true reason why you are here," Tsunade ordered yet again._

**-(Present Time)-**

"What the hell are you doing?"

Both Kakashi and Naruto were caught off guard by the unemotional but firm voice that came from behind them; Kakashi thought the voice sounded familiar while Naruto had no clue who it was. They whipped around quickly to find the source of the voice. Standing with a scowl, was none other than Sasuke Uchiha. He was still in his interrogation clothes (he was lucky enough to have them cleaned), which gave him an untrusting aura, and his onyx eyes were narrowed. Kakashi let his visible eye and his hidden sharingan eye widen, and he looked to catch a glimpse at Naruto. The blonde appeared to be lost in some sort of trance, eyes wide accompanied with a slightly parted mouth. He took notice that Naruto was trembling softly and the faint sound of the teen's heart speeding up, a sign that Naruto was in distress, made him aware that he needed to get rid of Sasuke and fast before anything happened.

"Leave. Now." Kakashi demanded slowly and softly, not bothering to address the younger male. He did not wish to scare Naruto by saying the name of his tormentor that haunted his mind throughout the years. The silver haired man could sense that the boy was an unstable, ticking time bomb, and could go off at any second at the slightest sign of danger. Kakashi's eye went from Naruto to Sasuke, Sasuke to Naruto; it appeared that Sasuke had locked his eyes with Naruto's and both were in the middle of a staring contest. When Sasuke did not move, and only stood there, Kakashi growled lowly. "Please, you need to leave _now_."

"What do you mean? Why should I leave?" Sasuke questioned. No longer being the Jonin's student, Sasuke did not feel compelled to listen to the older man's pleas. Instead, he did the exact opposite and took a step forward- little did he know what kind of hell he was about to step foot in.

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**Side notes:**

**(1)- this will be explained in the next chapter.**

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**Another chapter up with a cliffy... PLEASE REVIEW, I BEG OF YOU! –wails- I swear I am going insane (more insane than Naruto!)!**

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	4. The Promise of an ExFriend

**Title: Death to Hope; Long Live Insanity!**

**Chapter: The Promise of an Ex-Friend**

**Disclaimer: I do not on Naruto I ish poor)**

**Pairings: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka**

**Note: Thank you to the people who left me reviews, I feel less depressed. I got more hits and replies. (Not as many as my other fan fiction, Take me Home., but it is a start.)**

* * *

_Previously in Death to Hope; Long Live Insanity..._

"Leave. Now." Kakashi demanded slowly and softly, not bothering to address the younger male. He did not wish to scare Naruto by saying the name of his tormentor that haunted his mind throughout the years. The silver haired man could sense that the boy was an unstable, ticking time bomb, and could go off at any second at the slightest sign of danger. Kakashi's eye went from Naruto to Sasuke, Sasuke to Naruto; it appeared that Sasuke had locked his eyes with Naruto's and both were in the middle of a staring contest. When Sasuke did not move, and only stood there, Kakashi growled lowly. "Please, you need to leave _now_."

"What do you mean? Why should I leave?" Sasuke questioned. No longer being the Jonin's student, Sasuke did not feel compelled to listen to the older man's pleas. Instead, he did the exact opposite and took a step forward- little did he know what kind of hell he was about to step foot in.

**-----**

**-The Promise of an Ex-Friend-**

'_This pain, what am I feeling? Why is it hurting so much? I wish it will go away. My head... it feels like some one is bashing it into a stone wall until my skull breaks and my brains fall out into a mushy pile. Why can't I hear anything? Stupid ringing... Ugh, make it go away! Who is he, this man? I think is name is Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha. How do I know his name? I have never seen him before, but he seems so familiar. Why his he making me feel this way? Is he the one hurting me? I change my wish: make him go away! Make him go away... far far away."_

These were Naruto's thought as the older male took slow, small steps towards them. He could have sworn Kakashi was saying something, but it sounded muffled, as if it was going through a wall before reaching his ears, and he was only able to see Kakashi's blurred form get in between him and this male: this man who had eyes as dark as midnight, skin as pale as the ivory tusk of a elephant, and hair that looked as soft as silk. Naruto found himself staring directly into those dark eyes to see if he could see any hints of who he was, but his eyes slid closed as another wave of pain hit him like a tidal wave. The next thing that he saw when he opened his eyes was the white spackled ceiling, which was what he was forced to look at since he had fallen backwards with a heavy thud.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called as he turned around to look at his student. First he was yelling at his ex-student to get lost before something happens, and the next thing he knew, Naruto was lying flat on his back on the floor, half-lidded eyes fixated on the ceiling. He was about to rush to the blonde's side, but Sasuke had swiftly darted his way past him, and was currently kneeling next to Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, are you ok?" Sasuke called as he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. A pained cry left the blonde's lips, as if the Uchiha's touch was like burning acid, and he writhed, attempting to get away. This caused Sasuke to frown, and he wanted to shake the other and yell, 'Stop that! What is wrong with you; get a hold of yourself,' but he could not; doing that would make the situation worse. 

"No..." Naruto whimpered, but he was not answering Sasuke's question. In a pathetic attempt to get Sasuke away, the teen rose one of his hands and placed it upon the older's chest, pushing him weakly, which hardly fazed the man. Naruto felt like he was being spun around and around in a circle, making his dizzy that he was almost to the point of vomiting. Sasuke gripped Naruto's wrist gingerly and could not help but lay eyes on the messy scars that were on his semi-exposed skin. Curiosity got the best of him, and he pulled Naruto's sleeve down to get a better look at the old injuries. The sight made him want to vomit.

'_So it is true...' _Sasuke thought with sadness. Naruto's forearm looked as if a rabid dog had gotten a hold of it and tried to rip it off to eat it. Some over lapped, others were alone; the scared scars themselves stood out since they were a slightly darker tan than the rest of the male. Sasuke also took a guess and assumed that the other arm looked like this as well. The Uchiha was so lost in looking at the horrid marks that he did not notice that Naruto had passed out. "Naruto?" he said softly, lightly tapping Naruto's cheeks. Of course, he got no answer, and with a sigh, he stood up straight and took a few respective steps backwards, a signal to Kakashi that he should check on Naruto.

"Are you ok?" Kakashi cooed as he quickly crouched down to tend to Naruto's injuries (not physical ones, but mental ones). Naruto kept his eyes closed, and his breathing was hard and shaky; the Jonin concluded that Sasuke's presence had overwhelmed Naruto's mind, and he had shut it down. Kakashi looked from the restless face of his student, to Sasuke's back, and frowned. "What are you doing here?" He asked absently.

Sasuke looked down at the ground, not knowing to tell the truth or not. He had been instructed not to, but he did have a feeling that Kakashi deserved to know what was going on. After great mental debating and figuring out the pros and cons, Sasuke looked Kakashi dead in the eye with a serious face.

"Listen well because I only want to say this once. Naruto is-"

**-(A Day and a Half Earlier)-**

"Sasuke... I have spent all day asking you the same question over and over again," Ibiki growled as he looked down upon the boy. Sasuke was not in the room he had once been in. Instead, he was chained to a cold stone wall, arms above his head and feet dangling an inch off the ground. The room was damp and the only light present was a small torch that was on the wall opposite to Sasuke. The only thing that covered his body was the pants that he had on the previous day. Since he had resisted mental torture, Ibiki found that it was high time to use physical. He had just applied a small cut to Sasuke's abdomen before rubbing a salt covered lemon into it, making the minor cut burn.

"I have my reasons," the raven said, not a note of pain in his voice. Hello, he had spent a good number of years with Orochimaru, did the fool not think of- "AH!" Sasuke hissed as the cut started to bubble and burn, eating away at his flesh. It felt as if someone was lighting his body on fire while ripping at his abdomen. What ever Ibiki had used on him was not just mere lemon and salt. 

"Are you going to tell me now?" Ibiki asked with a scowl.

"I-I have my reas-"

"Enough of that bull shit!" Ibiki interrupted, "I am tired of this, and I bet you are too. Let us make a deal: you tell me why you are here, and I will let you see Naruto." Sasuke gave him a wary look, eyeing him over.

"What makes you think I want to see him?" he retorted with a snort.

"Well, judging by the reaction you had when the Hokage had told you Naruto had tried to kill himself, I had a feeling that the reason you are here has to do with him." Ibiki frowned when Sasuke turned his head away to look at the ground, but went on. "And your reaction just now only reinforces my suspicion. Trust me, I have heard your story about you attempting to kill Naruto in hopes of severing your bonds, but it seems that you still have some sort of feelings for him, be it hate, anger, or whatever, am I correct?"

'_Does he expect me to answer?' _Sasuke thought after a few minutes of silence. It was true; he did have a small amount of feelings for Naruto. Maybe it was because the boy was his first and only true friend. The only problem was that he did not know what the feeling was. It could have been guilt, remorse for what he did, but Sasuke had a feeling was much more than that. With a sigh, he nodded his hanging head.

"Ok then, just tell me what is going on?"

"The Akatsuki are planning to abduct and kill Naruto," he spoke with a hint of rage in his voice. Sasuke heard Ibiki grunt in surprise and looked up as the torture expert gave an ANBU silent instructions. The ANBU nodded and disappeared, and Sasuke concluded that he was going to inform Tsunade.

"Can you tell me how you found out?" He asked.

"I can not say how I know. All I am going to say is that they will be here within a year, and I am the only person who has a chance of protecting Naruto from my brother." Just the thought of Itachi getting his hands on Naruto made him angry. Sasuke was startled when a clean pair of interrogation pants and a shirt was thrown at his feet. The locks on the cuff around his bruised wrist gave up, and he fell onto his bottom with a displeased snort.

"Get dressed. We are going to go see Tsunade, and I will see what I can do about you seeing Naruto."

**-(Present Time)-**

"Naruto is-"

"What is going on here!" Iruka called as he rushed into the hall in which the males were occupying. He could have sworn that he had heard Naruto scream. He froze when he saw Naruto on the floor, Kakashi at his side, and Sasuke standing a good five fee away from them. The silver headed man snapped his neck around to look at his lover. Anger was starting to build in his eyes, and Kakashi took note that Iruka's first were clenched rather tightly. There was a small silence in which Iruka locked eyes with Sasuke's.

"Iruka... calmed down," Kakashi spoke up.

"Why should I?" 

"Sasuke is not here to hurt Naruto."

"How do you know!" Iruka snapped as he glared down at the oldest male in the area. Kakashi hated this Iruka. This Iruka was hateful and cruel- he could even recall a time when Iruka had thrown a vase at him when he was enraged. Kakashi kept his mouth shut, knowing that if he told Iruka that Tsunade had informed him of Sasuke's return a week earlier, all hell would break lose, if it wasn't already free, that is. "And how dare you come back here!" Iruka snapped as he glared at Sasuke. "Because of you, Naruto is in so much pain!"

"It is not like I planned to hurt him this much," Sasuke replied. "Yes, I did try to kill him but-" Sasuke flew back as a fist came in contact with his lower jaw. He was rather shocked; how could he not see a simple school teacher coming at him? As Sasuke's back hit the wall behind him, he made no attempt to get Iruka back. No, Iruka was venting his anger, he needed this. He needed to punish the one that hurt his son so bad. Iruka raised his fist again, and punched Sasuke on the opposite side of his face. Again, Sasuke did not stop him, but as Iruka tried to throw in another punch, the Uchiha dodged it. "I am sorry..." he said softly.

"Sh-shut up!" Iruka stuttered as he fell to the floor in a sobbing heap. Sasuke looked down at the teacher, but made no attempt to help him. Closing his eyes, he pushed himself off the wall, walked around the crying Iruka, concerned Kakashi, and the out cold Naruto, and left the area without muttering a single word in the process.

'_Tsunade can tell them... I don't have to deal with those idiots,' _Sasuke thought out of frustration. To be honest, he somewhat expected this to happen; not the getting punched in the face part- which was starting to hurt- but the fact that they were not going to trust him right away. 

"Where the hell have you been?" an enraged female howled as she walked right behind Sasuke. The man turned around and saw a not too pleased Tsunade staring down at him. Gripping his shoulder harshly, she pulled him closer to her, which made him shiver when he could feel her unnaturally large breast on his back, and lowered her head to whisper into his ear. "I thought I told you not to get away from me, and you did anyway. Why should I allow you to see Naruto, hmm?"

"No need to any more, I just got finished seeing him," he started, not bothering to look back at Tsunade. The elder gasped and released him. "I did not get to actually speak to him though. He passed out when he saw me. That and the fact that both Iruka and Kakashi do not trust me... I would very much appreciate it if you can tell them what is exactly going on, and see if you can convince Naruto that I am not a danger to him."

"Is that so," Tsunade pondered. "I can talk to Iruka and Kakashi, and I am sure that they _might _understand what is happening, but as for Naruto, I will tell him you are here to help him. It will be his decision if he wishes to trust you, however. Remember, he has lost most of his memories after he forced himself to forget everything when the Kyuubi put the memories back in his head. He only remembers little things, like his name, the name of the village, and stuff he had known before the age of two, which is not much. Hell, in the process of making himself forget, he damaged other parts of his mind..."

"Meaning?" Sasuke urged Tsunade to continue.

"He has a major fear of his own blood. If someone else was bleeding, he does not react, but at the sight of his own, he breaks down. There is also the fact that he damaged a part of the brain that has to do with speaking. He can't really speak in whole sentences, but he gets close enough. Instead of saying 'You have red hair,' he just says 'Red Hair.' And, depending on the lengths of someone's name, he might cut it down." Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose to rid herself of the oncoming headache that she felt pounding away at the back of her forehead. Things were going to be difficult, she could sense it. "Ugh, just go back outside with Ibiki; he will take you to the place where you will be staying. I will go take care of Iruka, Kakashi, and Naruto."

"Alright," Sasuke said, absorbing the information and placing it in a little room in his mind labeled 'Important.' Slowly, Sasuke retreated from the hospital, where Ibiki was waiting for him, and gave one final look back at the hospital, the prison, that Naruto was forced to stay at.

**-(Two weeks later)-**

It took awhile, a total of two weeks, for Tsunade to get Sasuke back on Iruka's and Kakashi's good side. After telling them that Naruto was in danger, they both agreed that it would be, indeed, best for Naruto's welfare if they allow Sasuke to help protect Naruto, especially if Itachi was involved. Kakashi was a bit more accepting, but Iruka still did not trust the Uchiha one-hundred percent, and it was obvious by the way he spoke to the younger. 

As for Naruto, he was out for two days after seeing Sasuke. Tsunade did as she said she would, and she told Naruto about how Sasuke wanted to help him and that he would be around a lot more often, and, to every one's surprise, he did not say anything against it or freak out. He seemed indifferent about it. Turns out that, thanks to the fainting, he had completely erased the memory of that day clean out of is head, and only remembered that he and Kakashi were playing hide and seek. 

Now, today was the day that Sasuke was going to start his "job" of watching over Naruto. The Sun was just rising, the day was Thursday, and Sasuke let out an annoyed groan as the Sun's rays made their way into his new apartment. Due to the fact that he had to be watched by ANBU since Tsunade was still a bit wary about him, he was not allowed to live in his house just yet. His new home was nothing compared to his old one. The walls were all beige, he had only four rooms- the living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom-, and he had what ever furniture was necessary. First he was in the lap of luxury, then he was in those tunnels that that stupid Orochimaru had lived in, and now this.

'_Damned curtains,' _he growled in his mind as he threw the black blanket off of his body. This part of the year was always cold, so he had on loose slacks and a baggy top; normally he would just wear his boxers, but the weather did not permit him to. Before Sasuke got out of bed, he stretched his arms and legs, popping a few joints in the process. He lifted himself off of the bed and headed straight for the bathroom. Catching a glimpse at the clock, he frowned. He needed to be at the hospital in thirty minutes, so he would not have time to take a shower. 

Quickly, he used the restroom and changed into the clothes that Tsunade had given him, which were a long-sleeved black turtleneck, black pants, and the normal sandals that most of the ninja in the village wore. After adjusting the annoying collar of the shirt, he left his apartment, and began his walk to the hospital, ANBU trailing behind him in the shadows.

Upon arrival, he was greeted by Iruka, Kakashi, and a few nurses. They all turned to look at him as soon as he step foot in the building. Sasuke only nodded a simple hello, and they returned the gesture. "Sasuke," Iruka started as he walked to the younger man. "Since I will be staying with Naruto today, you will stick with me." 

"Alright," he said. Iruka apparently did not trust him still. Following the tanned man down the hall, Sasuke felt like he was going to throw up. With each door they passed, he could hear screams or pleas for help. This was where Naruto was living now: in this hell hole. _'How long has he been here exactly?' _he thought as they finally came to the room that had the words 'Uzamaki' above it.

"If you do anything to Naruto, I will kill you," Iruka threatened as he pulled out a key to the room. Sasuke did not answer, and he was sure Iruka did not expect an answer. The click that the lock made echoed in Sasuke's mind, and he stood back as Iruka opened the door. Once said door squeaked open, Sasuke took a peak inside. Naruto was sitting in the darkness, nose pressed deeply into the corner. Knowing the boy, Naruto was most likely bored out of his mind. Upon turning on the lights, the teen hissed and rubbed his face deeper into the padded walls. 

"Go," he stated with a grumble. He was in no mood to deal with anymore nurses; to be honest, he was so drugged up that he had no idea who it was he was saying go away to (every Sunday is when he is given his medicines, so during the rest of the week, he can live "normally"). 

Iruka sighed and turned off half of the lights, the other half being dimmed. A sigh of approval escaped Naruto's lips. "Looks like they already gave him his medicine," Iruka told Sasuke, "He will be out of it most of the day... I am going to go get some chairs, and Naruto's breakfast. Stay here with him, but again, I warn you I-"

"'I will kill you,' I know," Sasuke finished off Iruka's threat. It was not like he believed Iruka would actually kill him, but he believed it would be best not to anger the man that was extremely close to Naruto. Iruka snorted with a frown before he left the room, closing the door behind him. The world plummeted into silence. Black eyes were fixated on Naruto's form, examining every breath he took and every move he made. The blonde was slightly swaying since the drugs were still working at his system.

"Go..." Naruto said yet again, knowing full well that he was not alone despite the sound of someone leaving.

"I am sorry Naruto, but I can not do that," Sasuke stated in a firm voice. Naruto tensed some after hearing the voice, but did not turn to face Sasuke, his half-lidded blue eyes focused on some stitching on the material of the walls. 

"Why?" he asked in a slurred voice. Sasuke sighed; it was going to take a lot to get through to Naruto while he was in his high state. 

"Iruka wanted me to stay."

"Why?"

"Because he does not want for you to be alone."

"Why?"

"Because he loves you, ok Naruto?" Sasuke snapped. It had not even been ten minutes, and Naruto was already wearing his patience. He notice how Naruto wince when he raised his voice and he cursed himself. "I am sorry, but you need to listen to me. Did Tsunade tell you about a Sasuke?" he asked in hopes to come to terms with the younger.

"Granny?" Naruto asked turning his head ever so slightly. He could make out a blurry frame with his peripheral vision, but he did not truly see Sasuke.

"Yes," Sasuke stated. Knowing that Naruto always mocked her and called him Grandma, it was safe to assume that he was referring to the large breasted woman. "She told you about some one named Sasuke, correct?" Naruto nodded his head slowly. "Well I am Sasuke. I am going to be staying with you for awhile."

"Sasu..." Naruto tried saying Sasuke's name, but did not say it completely. It annoyed the Uchiha very much that Naruto had no clue who he was. It also hurt to know that this was remotely his fault. However, Sasuke could not help the smile that formed on his lips. Maybe, just maybe, he could rekindle their relationship; start from scratch, a clean slate.

"Close enough I suppose," Sasuke said with a shrug. Sooner or later, he will get Naruto to say his full name instead of the shortened version. After a period of silence, Sasuke began to feel uneasy. Usually, Naruto would babble on and on about his dreams and all that junk he was proud about, but Sasuke had to remember. Naruto was sick... very ill, and he needed to be treated with great care before any _good_ memories could possibly resurface. "So how are you Naruto?" Sasuke attempted to make small talk, which was not one of his strongest points.

Frowning when Naruto did not reply, the Uchiha took a few steps towards the male. "Hey, Naruto." He called out to the other again, and gasped when Naruto fell backwards, his back landing softly on the cushioned floor; his eyes were closed, and his mouth barely parted. "Naruto!" Sasuke panicked and went to Naruto's aid. A beautiful rainbow of curses flowed from his lips as he checked Naruto all over. The straight jacket was in the way, but he did not have the key to unlock one of the straps, so he could not remove it. After examining his breathing, pulse, and pupils, he let out a sigh of relief. _'Guess whatever medicine he was given finally took full effect,' _he thought as he used the back of his hand to graze Naruto's oddly pale cheek. 

It looked as if all life had been drained from the boy. Like a vacuum had sucked up all hope and happiness and locked away in a cold, damp room; And Sasuke felt that he was the vacuum. The boy did not look like what he used to. Differences were VERY obvious, and this caused Sasuke to let out a sigh of frustration, and he damned himself into the worse level of hell there was.

"No..." Naruto mumbled in his sleep. Sasuke, who was caught off guard by the sleeping boy's voice, strained to hear what Naruto had just said; he had to go as far as to lean his ear near the teen's mouth. After the blonde repeated the word, Sasuke pulled back stunned; he remembered their first encounter in the halls where Naruto had said 'no' to him, but to what?

"No, no what Naruto? Tell me," Sasuke said as he readjusted himself. He leaned against the wall, his shoulder blades sinking into the padded surface, and placed Naruto in between his legs so that Naruto was pressed against him, and Naruto's cheek rested on Sasuke's shoulder like it was a pillow. Naruto did not reply back to Sasuke, but he whimpered and shifted, trying to adjust to the unfamiliar position. "I am so sorry Naruto... I promise I will make things up... I will help you," the raven whispered into Naruto's hair, making a promise he will make sure that he will keep.

* * *

**Whoo, go me: another chapter done. I thank all of you that commented before, and would love it if you comment again. This chapter was not too depressing, but the next one will be MEGAangst, so prepare your Kleenex boxes! I mean just think about it... There are two possibilities: either Iruka could walk in on Sasuke and Naruto while there are in such an interesting position OR Naruto can wake up and freak the heck out. Loves all of you and thanks**

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	5. Author's Note Apology

Hello out there

Hello out there! I know some of you are all "What the fuck? Where there hell did Fall go!?" No, I was not sent to jail, or been sent to the hospital. The reason why I disappeared for so long is because 1: Laptop was given back to school, 2: Lacked proper word program, 3: Because I am a lazy ass.

You see, school is back in session (for the pasted two months, haha) and I just remembered my account! Yeah, I am a lame ass, send me hate mail and all that shit.

Any who, I am going to get things running again, as soon as I re-read all my stories and remember my plots. Thank you all who have been awesome and all that, I apologize to you. Here is the order in which I intend to post.

1. Pain of the Second Hand

2. Take me Home and Call me Blue

3. Death to Hope Long Live Insanity!

Again, I apologize for my lameness, and I hope I have not lost my fans… (Though it is my fault, technically speaking.)

**e.F.**


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